


The Openings

by silversh (orphan_account)



Series: The Openings Series [1]
Category: No Fandom
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-30
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 14:53:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1391785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/silversh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When 16 year old Aury is selected for The Openings, her world is turned upside-down. Her and her partner, Roam, struggle through the trials and hope against all odds that this will be the last Openings, once and for all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is just your typical dystopian novel about teenagers fighting the current government and blah blah blah but I adore these types of stories so I thought "to hell with it" and started writing my own.

“ I have no idea how to do this.” 

I’m sitting in my room, listening to my music at full blast and trying to do my math homework.

“How am I supposed to know how to do this when the teacher doesn’t even teach us?” I rant to myself. I absolutely hate math class. It’s the only subject I’ve ever had any real struggle with. I used to be a straight A student. That ended in junior high. My first year of Algebra One marked the death of my straight A career. Then came Algebra 2. That was my first C+.   
Ever. 

Now I’m in Geometry and guess what? I have a C+. “I give up…” I sigh as I stuff my math back into my backpack.

I’m home alone tonight, again. My mom is at her boyfriends and my brother is at work or school or somewhere, I don’t know. I stop my music and head to the living room to watch some TV until it’s time to go to bed. I end up watching Disney Channel because I don’t feel like watching a crime show at 9:00 at night, home alone, at night, right before I go to bed. I watch 15 minutes of some really annoying show and just decide to go to bed early. “TV these days,” I yawn as I slowly drift into a dream.


	2. United Nations Society

It’s been 102 years since World War Three. Some countries that used to be are now non-existent thanks to nuclear bombs and natural disasters. The United States, now the United Nations Society, is nowhere near as large as it used to be. There are only 12 states now, and they have different names and are pretty much nothing like the old states. I live in Alderfields, the poorest state. We’re located in between Arrowharbor and Kingsrown. Arrowharbor is along the northern east coast and is the richest state.. Kingsrown is fairly normal. They have a stable economy and they are generally nice people. They take up a big chunk of the middle fields, or the midland.

There are a total of 12 states in the United Nations Society, or UNS for short: Arrowharbor, Alderfields, Kingsrown, Indanpolis, Jerlyan, Martfort, Hollows End, Washington, Berachi, Lakeworth, Nellan, and Vernonsway. Each state is basically it’s own country under control of the Common Government, hence the name United Nation Society. Each state has their own economy, though we all use the same payment. Each has their own school system, minor governments, job fields, etc. You have to have a passport to travel from one state to another. There are no more cars, only trains and subway systems. We all operate under the Common Government, located in Washington. They select our governors every 4 years, without our input. 

I live in Alderfields, the poorest state. Our very first governor after the World War managed to make us bankrupt in only 3 years. What an asshole. Now our governor is Joan Kies and she is not making anything any better. Our school system is actually one of the top three, following after Nellan’s and Washington’s. We have a house system, which I love. My school has 4 houses: Pluto, Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury. I’m in Pluto, the house of the hidden. 

Alderfields’ main job source is the technology industry. Many of our people go on to be programmers, technicians, and science engineers. Though if you’re lucky enough to become one of those, you usually have to move to another state to get a stable job. My dad was a programmer. He had to move to Kingsrown to have a stable job. He left when I was only four years old. I’ve never seen him since. 

My mom works at the high school in Alderfields where she teaches world history. My mom, or Mrs. Emerson, is a tall, lean woman with short dark hair and a face full of freckles. She’s not afraid to speak her mind and is in no way afraid to tell you how it is. My mom is a badass. She’s my best friend and partner in crime.

Now me, on the other hand, I’m really nothing special. I’m a split image of my mom, only my hair is longer and my eyes are blue, not grey. I used to be top of my class, but thanks to math class I’m now hovering somewhere in the middle ranks. I would go out for the only sport any of the schools in UNS offer, football, but I really hate being tackled by big meaty people. So I just keep to myself and hang out with my best friend, Rae.

Rae is probably the coolest person you’ll ever meet. I call her my little firecracker because she never shuts up and is always in trouble. Rae is at least two inches taller than me, has cherry blonde hair, and has the most innocent black eyes you’ve ever seen. She’s originally from Washington, but her family got moved out here to Alderfields when her dad refused to let Max, Rae’s older brother, go to The Openings. Refusing to let a child go to The Openings is a crime punishable with death, and yes, Rae’s father was killed.


	3. The Openings

Now, you’re probably wondering what The Openings are. They’re awful. The Common Government formed The Openings after mass riots in the Beginning Years of United Nations Society. The Openings are basically this: the Common Government selects two pairs of male/female teams of teenagers aged 13-19 from each state and sends them to Washington where these teams undergo a series of tests ranging from physical to purely mental obstacles that the team must overcome in order to move on to the next set of trials. There are eight trials total. Only one female/male team comes out alive. The Common Government claims that they use The Openings to weave out weak links in our society so that we can “ensure a better and safer tomorrow”. 

If your child is selected to perform in The Openings, you either give your child up or face the inescapable punishment of death. The selections aren’t totally random, either. Each school system in UNS runs under a house system which consists of four houses in each school. At the age of 12, each child undergoes a three week long series of tests that will tell which house they belong in in their school system. From there, the Common Government selects which house you will be assigned to in your school system when you reach the age of 13. 

These houses that you are assigned to help the Common Government to better understand the child and help to make their selection of teams for The Openings. The teams are strategically chosen based on the children's tests results and personalities. 

Every year on January 1st, The Selection is done in Washington. This is when the teams are selected. Everyone in every state attends the City Hall in their state and sit in the auditorium and wait and hope none of their loved ones gets selected. 

The Openings take 10 weeks to complete and the winning pair of one male and one female then go back to their home state to collect their belongings and say their goodbyes only to be transferred to Indanpolis, the winner’s state. There, the pair lives in luxury and comfort until both reach breeding age. Then, they are forced to breed and produce one child. Their child is then raised by specially trained maids and caregivers. The child attends the most prestigious school in UNS, Adalia, and then continues on through life only interacting with other winner-born children. Winner-born children are not allowed to marry non-winner-born children and are the only citizens of UNS allowed to become politicians, government workers, or any high-class job. Every mayor, governor, and seat in the Common Government is held by winner-borns. 

The winners of The Openings don’t have to work for the rest of their lives if they so choose. They can live comfortably in their beach homes, mansions, or penthouse apartments for the rest of their lives without a care in the world. If the winners do choose to work, they may only become teachers at Adalia or work for some other government in Indanpolis.  
  
  
Today is December 31st, and tomorrow, The Selection is held.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up soon, hopefully.


End file.
